


The Lachrymose

by AiyanaNyx



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Biting, Bondage, Branding, Chastity Device, Cutting, Depression, Drug Use, Drugged Sex, Explicit Language, F/M, Finger Sucking, Fingerfucking, Forced Bonding, Forced Marriage, Forced Masturbation, Forced Pregnancy, Graphic Description, Implied/Referenced Torture, Miscarriage, Multi, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Stockholm Syndrome, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Vaginal Fingering, Whipping, mother figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-04-06 20:00:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4234743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AiyanaNyx/pseuds/AiyanaNyx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bathed, hair brushed and touseled. Cheeks pinched into a blush, lips darkened with soot and skin whitened with talc. There was a reason Immortan Joe wanted his future wives prepared in this manner...</p>
<p>WARNING: This story has dark elements (suicide, cutting, ect.) that may be triggering to some viewers. Reader discretion is HIGHLY ADVISED.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story, which has been floating around in my head for a long while now, will take place many years before Mad Max: Fury Road and will draw references from both the comics and the movie. It's safe to say that this is a bit of a "What If" fic for reasons that will be explained later on in the story. 
> 
> I do not own any characters in or mentioned from the Mad Max Series. The rights to them are solely those of their creator. All characters you do not recognize are ones of my own creation. Please do not reuse them in artwork or stories without my consent. 
> 
> With that said, please enjoy _The Lachrymose_.

The very world outside raged into a fury storm, something that was seen often enough to be disregarded. It was accepted, especially in the Wastelands. One could do nothing about it, only go inside and wait it out for however long the storm decided to last. Inside the dome, they were safe. The storm could not reach them, but the words of the History Man’s stories could. Children and their mothers- the vast majority of them anyways- gathered around the tattooed man, listening intently as he finished his recanting of the tales from the past. Children sat wide eyed as he spoke of the great liberator Furiosa and her traveling companions, the Great War that ended years of tyranny.  
Once he’d finished, quiet claps from the hands of the little ones filled the dome, some scooting closer to the History Man.  
‘History Man,” one particular young one spoke up after the clapping died down. ‘Tell us the story of the Lachrymose!”  
‘Yes! The Lachrymose Legend!” Another added until all of the children were chanting Lachrymose, their mothers sharing smiles with one another as others attended to their babies cradled against their breasts. The History Man chuckled and smiled at the thirst for knowledge displayed within these little lotus flowers, some of whom were once treadmill rats and War Pups, others that came from the Wretched down below (Though Wretched was a long since forgotten term for them all). So many younglings… All of them were either born or stolen away to this place, none of them yet knowing or understanding what life was like outside of the Citadel.  
‘Ah, the Lachrymose Legend,” the old man said, readjusting himself on the rim of the clear pool of water before them. ‘That is indeed one of the oldest of my tales."  
‘How so?” A girl child asked, her blue eyes big and round. The man smiled gently at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  
‘Because it was a secret legend amongst the first of us,” he added. ‘At one point in time, it was forbidden to even speak of the Lachrymose, for fear that she would be angered by the words people spoke about her.” The children and women looked to him in wonder, curious at his words. ‘A time ago, indeed before most of you were born, there was a beautiful maiden that lived far from this place; a woman of great white beauty both literally and figuratively. She was the vision of loveliness; hair and skin white as ash, lips so maroon they were almost black, and eyes dark as the midnight sky. She was born of a Snow Mother- an albino- and a Sun Father, but could pass for one of the Snow. After seeing the struggles people had, she came to the Citadel to take away the women and children born below, taking them to a beautiful place far to the East so that they would never know the horrors of fighting for survival in the most unforgiving of landscapes.”  
‘Was it the Liberator Furiosa?” a boy piped up. The History Man shook his head.  
‘She was like the Liberator, yes,” he laughed. ‘But no, she was not the Great Furiosa. You will not find her in books, no pictures, no marked grave bearing her name. But you can find remnants of her kind spirit all around you.” This caused a murmur to pass through the children who leaned forward in interest. Even the women present in the room were captivated. ‘Listen well, do you hear? Sometimes you can hear her soft voice in the wind, her laughter in the crackling of the fire, and see her loving smile when you gaze into the stars above. She watches over all of you, protecting you from harm, and whispers softly so that you know she's always there. Some would call her a saint, martyred for trying to save who she could. Others would say she was just a pretty face staring out at them from the glass of this very dome."  
‘The Lachrymose lived _here_?” A girl exclaimed in shock. The History Man shook his head.  
‘No, little one. The Lachrymose came here to rescue people, not to live. Even so, some say that she lingers here; why, just a few days ago, someone claimed that they saw a woman staring down at the people below, watching over them, but when they glanced away and looked again, she was nowhere to be found. But yet there was the lingering scent of flowers that once were here. It's said that if you smell the fresh scent of flowers, it means that you are in the presence of the Lachrymose, even if you cannot see her.  
‘Once every two months, the Lachrymose would come under the cover of darkness to this place with her brother- also a half blood- to find those willing to travel into hostile lands with the promise of a better life, a free life without knowing the struggles of this one. They would smuggle them out in any way that they could, even if the threat of death was always lingering over their heads. But little did the siblings know that their bi-monthly trips to the Citadel were attracting the unwanted attention of the tyrannical Immortan Joe and his War Boys.  
'One night, coming to collect those who wished to leave, the Snow children fell into a trap set by the Immortan. He interrogated the siblings as to their true intentions, but neither spoke the truth. Instead, they managed to trick him into believing they were traveling arms dealers, bringing new guns for his inspection.” The History Man paused, letting his words sink in.  
‘What happened after that?” an older child asked as she balanced a young boy on her lap.  
‘Immortan Joe fell for the ruse and bought the guns that siblings had brought. In return, he gave the Snow children water, and they made away to their vehicle before disappearing into the East. But little to anyone’s knowledge, the Lachrymose had stowed the people that were brave enough to follow them within the other crates that supposedly contained the rest of their wares into the back of their rig. While her brother drove, she cared for them all by medicating and bandaging their boils and wounds, feeding and clothing them and guarding them with her life. In that manner, they returned to freedom where they were never seen again. And so the Lachrymose lived on in the hearts of those that followed her, remembered always for her courage and kindness in putting others before herself.” The History Man finished. The children cheered for the victory of Lachrymose and her brave brother. All except for one.  
‘But History Man,” the blonde child asked. ‘If the Lachrymose escaped, why did her spirit come back to the Citadel? How did she come to live here with us?” The History Man’s eyes grew quite shiny at the innocent question.  
‘The legend is just what it is, a legend. A story that isn’t true,” he admitted. ‘The real story is not at all as happy as the legend is. You see, the name Lachrymose means "shedding tears easily". The legend got this name because that is what the world did when the woman of the Snow returned for the last and final time.”  
‘She came back?”  
‘Yes, children. For you see, the Lachrymose Legend isn’t a legend at all,” The History Man explained. He hesitated for a long moment. 

‘The Lachrymose was real. And this is her story.”


	2. The Liberators

The air was foul and putrid, a sharp contrast from what they were used to as the two hooded figures snuck their way through the slums, taking care to avoid anyone who looked to be of authority. Their brown attire helped them to blend in with the dry environment around them and the shadows served to further camouflage them from sight. You’d think that having done this as many times as they had that the fear of being found would be long gone by now. But no, that wasn’t the case. Tonight was one of those nights that the tension was so thick you could cut through it with a knife. No matter, they were here now and they would get what they came for. The goal was simple; get the runaways out of the Citadel unnoticed and hightail it back to the East. In and out before anyone knows they are there. Simple as pie, as their father used to say.

Given that everything that could possibly go wrong had, however, the smaller of the two creeping figures wasn’t so sure.

‘ _Are you absolutely positive that this is a good idea_?” a female voice asked the other in their native tongue. The bigger stopped and turned to the female, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

‘ _We’ve done this enough times to be able to work around it,_ ” a soft yet deep male voice replied. ‘ _Don’t worry, we’ll get everyone home safe and be gone before morning_.”

‘ _That’s the problem, we’ve no way home! The engine blew, remember_?” The male’s eyes glanced away from the black eyes of the female. He didn’t outright admit it, but she had a point; they’d taken a different route than usual this time, one that was supposed to have been cleared of any hostiles only to be ambushed by a motorcycle gang in the canyons. A makeshift grenade had seen to it that they make the rest of the journey on foot. And God knew how traveling through the Wastelands in the middle of the day could be… they were fortunate to have made it here when they did. But there was no time for either to rest, not even for a moment.

‘ _When we find the informant, I’m sure he’ll have a vehicle for us. He owes us a favor, remember_?” The black eyes of the female stared deep into his icy blue orbs. Her brown bandana hid her face from his view, but he could tell that she didn’t believe him.

‘ _I hope you’re right_.” The male’s eyes smiled at her before he turned and continued on to a secluded spot behind a makeshift dwelling, the female hot on his heels. While the woman watched for any danger, the male went to back wall of the dwelling. Glancing to his companion who had given him a thumbs up to signal that the coast was clear, he raised a hand and rapped his knuckles three times against the wooden shutter. All was silent. The male furrowed his brow and knocked again. This time, the shutter rose up a bit.

‘Who calls for me?” a gruff male voice whispered. The male glanced to the dark eyes of the female.

‘The children of fire and ice come to provide safe passage to the East.” The male replied, smoothly transitioning to the common tongue. The shutter opened completely and the head of an old man popped out. Both the male and female outside had to hold their breaths at the foul stench that wafted out into the night. _As if the air isn’t bad enough,_ the man thought, but he said nothing out of respect for the elder in front of him.

‘Well, well, if it ain’t the half-bloods again,” he said, grinning widely at the two. ‘You both look right as rain as always.” The woman smiled under her bandana and nodded in his direction before resuming her watch, content to allow her brother to deal with old man Pit. Even though they’d been working alongside him for the better part of five years now and it’d been two months since their last run to the Citadel, Pit looked like he’d aged by double that amount; his gray hair grew on the sides of his head leaving a big bald patch down the middle. One eye was long gone for reasons she never asked. A plethora of scars decorated the man’s hands, neck, and face that looked like old leather thanks to the harsh sun. And there, if you looked hard enough, there were telltale signs of boils on his chest under his shirt. The woman cast him another glance, this one full of sympathy.

She and her sibling had been fortunate enough to not have whatever diseases happened to be floating around nowadays. It was one of the many perks of not living close enough to any major settlement. She found herself wishing suddenly that she was back home in the East, surrounded by the lush plants and flowers that her mother before her grew. Black eyes closed slowly as she remembered the marigolds and the daisies her mother was so fond of that surrounded the fields of grass, the tall trees heavy with fruits, crops growing out back of the simple house she shared with her brother. It was a hard life, but a good one. There was no need to fear anyone back home. They could go outside and there would be no reason to take a gun (though there was still one hidden in one of the pots outside just in case). It was so peaceful... She missed it something awful and she hadn’t been here for all that long. _You’ll be there soon enough,_ the black eyed woman assured herself. _Just get the hell out of here in one piece and all will be well._

She must have spoken aloud

‘You’re here for the shipment, I take it?” the elder asked, his words followed sometimes by a whistle since he was missing several of his teeth. The male nodded.

‘We are,” he replied. ‘Is everything in order?”

‘Aye tis,” Pit answered. ‘I’ve got everything ready for ya in the clearing as agreed. 20 boxes of firearms and a little something extra as well.” He said with a wink, his wrinkled brown face smiling at the man. The hooded male nodded his head.

‘Have you by chance procured a vehicle for transport as well? We had a slight… mishap on the way. We could use an extra set of wheels to get out.” Pit scratched his chin with long yellow nails, clearly thinking.

‘Well... now see that’s a crying shame. I don’t quite have the reach ‘round here to get such things.”

‘Do you know someone that does? Someone we can trust?” The man with the piercing ice blue eyes asked. Pit paused, thinking, and it was then that the young one before him noticed that the old man was sweating like a pig. _It's not that hot out here tonight._ he pondered. _If anything, it's a bit chilly._ Not that it bothered the blue eyed man. He and his sister found that the cold was quite comforting, not to mention easier on their sensitive pale skin.

‘Not anyone close by, if that’s what you’re wondering. I don’t have much reason to go to the garage above, not that they would take me up anyways.” The young man’s eyes narrowed.

‘What do you mean “above”? You’ve not a garage on the ground level?”

‘Afraid not, my lad. They’ve moved everything to the above. We’ve no way of reaching it.” At the cool stare of the Snow child before him, Pit quickly added, ‘But I might have an idea on how _you_ can get up there.” The man spared a glance to his sister behind him, who was looking at Pit suspiciously.

‘Go on,” he said. Pit rubbed his sweaty hands together and wet his lips with his tongue. This did not go unnoticed by the young lad before him. _Why does he look so nervous,_ he wondered.

'Are you alright, Pit?" he asked. The old man was taken aback, then laughed quietly.

'Oh yes, yes I am," he tried to assure in a shaky voice. 'Right as rain! Nothing wrong with Pit the Reliable." Blue eyes looked once more to his sister who had turned more fully to peer at Pit. Did she notice the same things he did?

'Very well then," the hooded man said. 'Continue, please. Tell me more about this "above". What's so special about it?"

‘Ya see they let down this big platform during the day when they send out war rigs and cars for supply runs. Sometimes they take people up like merchants, slavers, and pretty women. Especially pretty, healthy women,” Pit explained, nodding in the direction of the woman standing behind the ice blue eyed man. She only snorted in response, black eyes averting themselves. ‘Course, that’s only during the day. Never seen them let it down in the still of the night, so that will complicate things.” He paused for a second. ‘Tell ya what; lemme go find one of the workers near the lift. Pretty sure he can get ya up there if you’re looking to barter for a car.” The young man shook his head. 'It's perfectly fine, I assure ya." Another shake of the hooded man's head. _He's too insistent. I don't like it._

‘Let me converse with my sister on the matter. I will be back shortly.” He turned away from Pit and approached the woman leaning against one of the stone walls beside her, giving him a concerned stare.

‘ _I don’t like how any of this sounds, brother_.” She spoke, sensing what her brother was about to say.

‘ _And here I thought it was just me that was getting a bad vibe_ ,” he replied. ‘ _Something’s off with Pit tonight. I don’t know why, but he looks nervous as I’ll get out. I’ve never seen him act so fidgety_.”

‘ _Neither have I_ ,” The younger of the two answered. ‘ _You don’t think he’s hiding something, do you_?”

‘ _Would make perfect sense, but we have no way of knowing for sure. Still, doesn’t make me feel any more comfortable with taking my chances with a man I don’t know. I’d rather wait and get the rig repaired first_.” His sister’s eyes widened.

‘ _And leave the people we promised to rescue behind_?! _Brother that is not our way_!”

‘ _We’ve no choice. I cannot risk taking them out on foot and I don’t much fancy carrying 20 crates around. We’ll come back for them later_.”

‘ _And_ I _will not risk them not being here when we finally do return. We’re here now, we’ll take them now_ ,” the woman argued. After seeing the look on her brother’s face, she sighed. ‘ _How many people are supposed to come with us tonight_?” Her sibling glanced up momentarily before looking back at her.

‘ _Fifty, maybe sixty the last I checked_.” Her brother responded. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

‘ _Then we have fifty, maybe sixty reasons to take them away from the Citadel tonight, with or without a vehicle_.” The elder of the two siblings didn’t say anything, only stared into his sister’s face. He could see in her eyes the steely resolve that she had, and there was nothing that he could possibly say to deter her.

‘ _Mother would be proud of you to hear such courage in your voice_ ,” he mused aloud, patting her head gently. His sister’s black eyes smiled at him. ‘ _It is settled. We take the people along with whatever supplies we can carry and get back to the rig. Hopefully no one has run off with it yet before we can do some repairs_.” Ice blue eyes looked back at Pit, who was watching the siblings speak to one another.

‘Have ya come to an agreement?” the elder called anxiously when he realized the man was looking at him. ‘We’ve not much time to sit about talking, ya know.”

‘We have, Pit,” the young man answered, walking back to him. ‘We’ll not be needing transport after all.” Pit gave him a strange look. ‘My sister and I will take what we can carry as well as those willing to leave tonight on foot.”

‘A-are you sure? I’m positive that I can get my mate to procure-”

‘I said it is no longer necessary,” came the older Snow child’s voice a bit more forcefully, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a piece of paper. ‘Written on it is the name of the merchant who will handle your compensation.” He turned back to his sister, calling for her to follow him.

‘W-wait-”

‘Goodnight, Pit. Until we meet again,” the sister called back, both disappearing into the dark. Pit watched after them, fear gripping him in a vice. He pulled down his shutter and locked it tight.

‘It’s done,” he muttered guiltily. ‘They are heading towards the shipment location.”

‘You're sure it's them?” asked a dark voice, the owner of such a man with half of his face painted black.

‘Yes.” Pit admitted, not turning to look at the man sharing his home currently.

‘Tell me more about them. Leave nothing out.”

‘They are children of the Snow People, a race which once lived in ice caverns deep in the mountains years ago.” Pit explained. ‘Hybrids born from their father’s union with a Snow woman; an albino. Very rare if I remember correctly. A healthy lot too, not like most of the people that you see here. Albino women are highly sought after, I've heard. She would make a fine addition to the Immortan's collection. The man is strong and able. His blood would be good for the sick ones.” The painted man smiled darkly.

‘Good, very good,” he replied. ‘The Immortan will be pleased with this gift you offer him. If they are as valuable as you say, he will surely grant you anything your heart desires.” The man thumped Pit on the shoulder. ‘You're doing a great thing, old man, helping us nip this problem in the bud before it gets worse. You wouldn't believe how frustrating it is explaining why dozens of guns suddenly go missing every two months. On the Immortan's behalf, I offer my thanks. I’ll personally see to it that you are justly rewarded. If you'll excuse me, I have some guests to attend to. I'll make sure to give them a _warm welcome_ to the Citadel.” With those words, he disappeared out the door of the small hovel. Pit remained where he was, the realization of what he just did sinking in. _They’ll never forgive me,_ he thought sadly, sinking to his knees.

‘What have I done?” the old man cried, bitter tears falling from his eyes. ‘Oh Lord, what have I done?”

 

* * *

 

‘ _Why do I have the feeling that this may not have been such a hot idea after all_?” the eldest asked as they crept along in the shadows.

‘ _Because of Pit,_ ” His sister said simply. ‘ _His behavior was off. Usually he’s joking and laughing with us. Something’s not right_ ,” she added. The brother nodded.

‘ _I know, I saw_ ,” he replied. ‘ _It doesn’t make much sense. It’s strange… before we left, he acted like he wanted to tell us something but didn’t_.”

‘ _You cut him off,_ _remember_?"

' _I didn't do it to be rude, you know_ ," he answered. ' _We've a lot to accomplish tonight and not a lot of time to do it_."

' _You don’t think something’s happened do you_? _He appeared to be afraid of something_.”

‘ _With so little information, who can say, little sister. We must not pass judgement upon him, regardless._ ” He paused and placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘ _But after this, just to be on the safe side, we're going to lay low for a while. We can’t have anyone catching on to what we’re doing._ ” She sensed that there was something her brother wasn’t saying, but the black eyed woman chose to say nothing further on it. If he wanted her to know, he would tell her. Maybe later, after they’d left the Citadel…

That was the beauty of their relationship; close, with no secrets between them and never one without the other. It’d be as such since they were children. Their mother had been outcast from her people when she formed a union with an outsider (Sun people, their mother had called them), and their father’s family had been killed off one by one by disease. Her brother had been the one to meet them both, had spent nine blissful years with them until a fiery crash took both of their lives. The rest of his childhood was spent caring for his little sister. It was touching to her that he was willing to sacrifice so much for her. How he managed to care for her on his own while learning to care for himself, she’d never know. But he gave up the things he loved for what she needed. It would be unfair of her to ask anymore of him.

She loved her brother with all her heart. He cared for her like no other human could. But there was another that had her heart. Another that was hiding in her jacket…

Wait... why did the left side suddenly feel lighter?

‘ _Monoxide?_ ” she called, taking care to keep her voice low while reaching into her jacket. Her movements stilled when she did not find that which she called Monoxide. ‘ _Brother, stop. We have a problem._ ” Her brother obviously didn’t hear her because he kept moving. ‘ _Big brother, wait!_ ” she hissed. Still her brother kept moving. ‘ _Glacier, for fuck's sake, listen to me already!_ ” she grumbled, grabbing Glacier by his hood and jerking him back, an action that caused his hood to fall and his snow white hair to be revealed.

‘ _Sister, what are you doing_?” her brother said, swatting her hand off his hood and pulling it back over his head.

‘ _He’s gone,_ ” she said simply. Glacier’s blue eyes blinked in confusion. ‘ _Monoxide_! _He’s gone_!” Her brother’s face fell.

‘ _Oh shit,_ ” he groaned, looking around them.

‘ _Oh shit is right_ ,” she replied, mimicking her brother’s actions.

‘ _How long has he been gone_? _Where could he have gotten off to_?”

‘ _I don’t know, and I don’t want to think about what could happen to him out here. God only knows what these people like to eat around here._ ” She added.

‘ _He picked a damn good time to run off,_ ” Glacier mumbled, looking behind some rotting boxes. Even though there were people waiting for them, both knew that they couldn’t leave behind Monoxide. They had to find him because, well, he was part of their little family. What remained of it, that is.

When they were younger, Glacier had taken his sister to a merchant in Bartertown to trade for seeds when they saw a cage full of what the owner of the stall had called water lizards. There was one in particular that had caught their attention; a pink and white lizard- which they would later learn from one of their mother’s books was an albino- that was smaller than the rest. The merchant had said that they were good to eat when other meats weren’t so plentiful, a notion that had caused her to cry to Glacier, begging him to save the poor creature so that he wouldn’t be eaten.

When they brought the little fellow home, Glacier and his sister couldn’t bear the thought of raising him only to kill him for food later, so they kept him as a pet. She had been the one to call him Monoxide. They didn’t know why, just knew that the name seemed to fit him perfectly. Monoxide came everywhere with them, acting as a companion most of the time and a watch dog at other times. In all truths, he proved to be better than a hound. And so when he went missing, they knew that they couldn’t leave him behind. He was too precious to them.

Needless to say, even after all these years, he and the seeds were well worth the loss of five gallons of water and guzzoline.

‘ _Monoxide,_ ” Glacier called quietly. ‘ _Monoxide, come here boy!_ ”

‘ _Come, come sweet boy,_ ” his sister coaxed. ‘ _I have a tasty treat for you if you come here._ ” Scuttling sounds nearby made both Snow children freeze, fearing that they had attracted the wrong attention they sought. Neither moved or seemed to breathe for a long moment. When the sounds came from above them, black met ice blue slowly before looking heavenward. Suddenly, a dark shadow fell directly upon them, causing Glacier to gasp and his sister to cry out in surprise at the feel of scales brushing against them.

‘ _Monoxide_!” his sister exclaimed happily, holding the near three foot long lizard in her arms lovingly. The white lizard climbed out of the crook of her left arm and instead went to his usual spot on her left shoulder, raising his head in enjoyment as he was scratched under his jaw. An even bigger smile came to the girl's face as his red eyes closed in enjoyment. ‘ _Where did you get off to, my boy_?”

‘ _You are in big trouble, mister_ ,” Glacier scolded, wagging his finger at him. ‘ _You know better than to give us such a fri- hey_!” Monoxide nipped the wagging finger, thinking it was the tasty treat he was promised. His sister giggled in response.

‘ _Oh stop, Glacier,_ ” she said at the icy glare from her brother. ‘ _You know he didn’t mean it._ ” The albino lizard’s tongue flicked out in response as though agreeing with her.

‘ _Still, that hurt like hell,_ ” Glacier whined, shaking his hand back and forth. ‘ _No rats for you, you little shit. Put him back in his pouch, sister. We have work to do._ ”

‘ _Yes brother,_ ” she replied with a smile. She reached into her coat and pulled out a large bag. She made a clicking sound as she opened it. Obediently, Monoxide left his perch on her shoulder and scurried into the bag, settling down easily. ‘ _Good boy_ ,” she praised, replacing the bag to her side. The comforting weight let her know that their precious friend was more than likely sleeping. Patting it softly, she turned her attention from Monoxide to her brother and followed him once more as they continued on their way.

 

* * *

 

There was no light for which to see the path save for some of the fires that flickered out in the distance like beacons, reminding her of a picture she’d seen in a book. What was it that her brother called those things that used to show massive floating cars- no, ships- on the sea the safe way to go? Light towers? No, that wasn’t it. Light poles? That didn’t sound right either. Lighthouses? Yes, that was it. Lighthouses. That’s what the fires reminded her of. Faintly, there were sounds of people chattering amongst themselves in the common tongue, something that was foreign to her even if she could speak it fluently. She preferred the soft and gentle words of the language of Snow. It was comforting and reassuring like the way her brother is.

‘ _There they are,_ ” Glacier said, stopping suddenly and pointing in the direction of a close fire surrounding by a group of people. From the light of the fire, she could see that their skin was brown like leather, not pale and soft like her own. Some had boils on their faces that looked swollen and painful, others too skinny compared to them. Glacier saw the look of concern in his sister’s eyes.

‘ _We’re going to get them out of here,_ ” he promised. ‘ _We’ll get them food and water and they’ll be better in no time_.” He knew that was a bad thing to say. Some of these people looked too weak to attempt such a journey and Glacier was beginning to wonder if making the trek on foot would be wise. ‘ _Remember, we have fifty to sixty reasons to carry through with this._ ” He said in an attempt to put her mind at ease. The black eyes of his sister looked up at him.

‘ _I know,_ ” she replied, looking back to the emaciated people before her. ‘ _I’ll go talk to them, see if they are ready for what is to come._ ” Glacier nodded in consent, watching his sister’s lithe form walked forward to the would be escapees. As she walked, the girl pulled her bandana down to her neck, revealing her pale skin and angular features. Her dark lips and black eyes gave her the look of a phantom, but the kind smile she mustered attested otherwise. Her hood followed her bandana. As it fell, the sheet white locks of her hair cascaded down her shoulders to the middle of her back, floating behind her as she walked.

A few people had turned in her direction at the sounds of her approaching, but slowly all heads turned to see her, the chattering trickling off like drops of water. She stopped a few feet away from them, observing all quietly.

‘Good evening, brothers and sisters,” her soft voice called to them. ‘I trust you’ve been told that you are to leave tonight?” No one answered her. ‘It is alright, my friends. I am not your enemy. I have come forth to lend my aid to you.”

‘How do we know that?” an old woman asked, her skin more wrinkled than Pit’s. ‘How do we know you won’t have us killed on the spot?”

‘If I was to kill you, don’t you think I would have already done so?” she replied.

‘She looks like one of them War Boys,” one of the men said. ‘She could be working for _him_ for all we know.” She had no idea what these “War Boys” or even “him” was, so she ignored the barbs.

‘I assure you, I mean you no harm. I can see just by the looks on your faces that your lives are hard enough as it is. But I come to offer you the chance to live as free men and women, to know a life that doesn’t have to be in poverty.”

‘And how do you propose to do that? We don’t even know who you are!” The girl smiled.

‘I am Smoke Fire-Born and I have come to liberate you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To get an idea of what Monoxide looks like, please Google search albino water monitors. (They are really cute! =) )  
> Please feel free to leave critiques, both good and bad. If you see something that you feel I should change, don't feel bad to say it. I welcome it all. =)


	3. Betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was very, very tempted to not contribute further to this story due to it being stolen, but feel that that was being unfair to those who were reading it solely due to the fact that they liked it and had no ill intentions for it. I will no blame all for the actions of one person. That person is still out there as we speak. But I will not allow them to scare me away from this story. Instead, I'm going to do this:
> 
> I'm going to post this chapter today so that those who have been waiting for it can read it. HOWEVER, taking the lead of another writer whose planning to do the same, if this chapter is taken or the story is posted on another site, I will lock this story PERMANENTLY and you will only be able to view it if you are a registered user. I'm well aware that my hits and kudos will be affected. But I will not continue to entertain a little troll that thinks its hilarious to steal people's hard work. 
> 
> That said, please enjoy the next chapter!

The people before the girl, who they now knew to be known as Smoke, didn’t know what to say. Looking at her in wonder, a few of them hardly dared to believe what they were hearing. Others became filled with hope that it was indeed possible to live outside this wretched place. The rest didn’t believe it at all. Black eyes wandered to each, the kind smile on her face never faltering. One elder looked to all the people surrounding him and stood up shakily, separating from the others to come closer to her. Smoke did not move.

‘I used to hear stories in my youth,” he started. ‘Of people who dwell within ice caverns far away from here, people who were known to be the kindest and gentlest in the entire human race. They called them the Snow for their hair and skin were pure white, and their skill in the healing arts was second to none. I never believed the stories because it was impossible for such beings to be able to live in the harsh sun, much less dwell within ice. I thought that I never would believe until I saw one with my own eyes. And now, that day is today.” He smiled, reaching to touch her before he hesitated. When Smoke made no move to stop him, he touched her gingerly as though to be reassured she was real and not a figment of his imagination.

‘I am glad to have proved those stories true for you,” she replied, touching him in return. The man stared into her face with wonder, watching how the light of the fire reflecting in her dark eyes and giving them a pinkish hue. Even her skin itself appeared to take on an ethereal glow in the light. Her eyes broke from his to motion for her brother to come forth. The others peered around to watch Glacier approach and stand beside his sister, mimicking her actions and removing his hood and bandana to reveal his handsome features. The man looked from Smoke to Glacier, hardly daring to believe what he was seeing before he turned back to the crowd behind them.

‘They are real,” he said. ‘They are friends. They are here to help us!” At his words, the people shared a glance and then stood up one by one, coming forward to see the Snow children. Both siblings stood perfectly still as the people began to touch them as the old man had. Any other time, they wouldn’t have done so. But being albino had that effect on people, especially those that had never seen one before.

‘ _I think they like us, brother_ ,” Smoke said with a grin. Glacier nodded.

‘ _Never gets old, does it_?” he asked, to which his sister shook her head.

The curious touching from the people continued for a long while it seemed until they all decided they were convinced that this wasn’t a dream. Glacier took that opportunity to address the throng that surrounded them.

‘Brothers, sisters,” he began. ‘I can see from the look of you all that your lives here have not been kind. I see the scars of your oppression, the boils of your illness, and the starvation of your suffering. We are not your cruel overlords; you have a choice. You can come with us this night and live as free men and women. But the road to freedom will not be easy, and we can make no guarantees that all will be with us when we reach our destination; there is great danger out there beyond this cursed place. I will not sugarcoat the obstacles.” At Glacier’s mention of danger, a small portion of the people who were standing there turned and left. Smoke’s eyes grew sad as she watched them go.

‘Those who do not wish to follow may stay behind; we will not take you by force.” Smoke assured. “You can go back to your homes but I will tell you now that if you go, you may not get this opportunity again.” Two men, who had moved to leave, stopped at her words. ‘But if you follow us you will suffer no more. Anyone who dares to hurt you will die _screaming_. No one will make slaves of you again, I swear it.” All was silent and still. When no others made a move to leave, Smoke looked to her brother.

‘I think we have our answer.” She noted. Glacier nodded.

‘Then it’s settled. We’ve a distance to go before we reach the rig. Pick up what you plan to take with you.” He paused and glanced to one of the crates nearby. ‘If there are any men who are good with guns, come with me. We’re going to need some extra lookouts.” Glacier added, walking with a purpose to one of the crates. Smoke started for the crate as well, but a hissing sound stopped her. Movement inside her jacket alerted her that Monoxide was stirring. Judging by how violently he was moving, the lizard was clearly unhappy about something.

‘Stop boy,” she muttered, trying to calm him. ‘Calm down, already.” Usually, when Smoke put her hand in the bag to pet him, Monoxide would calm down right away. But something was different this time. Monoxide leaped out of the bag like a white bullet the second the flap was opened, almost going out onto the sand before Smoke caught him and helped him up onto her shoulder. Glancing at him, she could see the rows of sharp teeth in Monoxide’s mouth as he openly hissed in the direction of the crates. It was almost as though he sensed something that she couldn’t…

‘What is it boy?” she asked, petting the albino reptile. His pink eyes were trained on Glacier who was just feet away from crates, swaying his head side to side threateningly. _He's never acted this like before,_ she thought. _Not unless he saw something that he didn't like._ Smoke looked from her brother to her pet, before something moving in the shadows caught her eye and the smell of smoking coming from that same spot…

‘Glacier, move!” she screamed, catching her older sibling’s attention just as a spark appeared from behind the wooden box. Time seemed to freeze until the crate exploded in a fiery blaze, the force of the detonation sending everyone nearby through the air. Screams of terror broke the stillness of the night. Smoke barely had time to grab Monoxide and hit the ground using her body as a shield for him in an attempt to avoid any shrapnel. Though Smoke had fortunately been far enough not to be hit directly, her ears were still ringing from the intensity of the blast. Slowly, she rose up and looked over her shoulder. A hand rose to cover her mouth, her black eyes wide in shock. The smell of gunpowder and blood was thick in the air. Smoke’s blood ran cold as she finally realized what it was that Pit had been trying to tell her brother before they left.

The Snow children had walked straight into a deadly trap.

_Where is he_ , she thought frantically, scanning the crowd that had rushed to pick up the wounded. _Where is Glacier?_ Smoke almost panicked when she couldn’t find her brother right away. A lump began to form in her throat, but she refused to cry. No, this was not the time for tears. Only when she knew the fate of her brother would she allow herself to do anything of the sort. But with all the commotion, it was hard to pick out if Glacier was among those that had fallen or if he was wounded. _Please be alright, big brother,_ Smoke pleaded inwardly. _Please don’t be hurt!_ That wasn’t a good thing to be thinking, especially since he was so close to the blast…

The comforting weight of her pet on her shoulder gave her an idea. It was no secret that his species relied heavily on their sense of smell, and they’d been working on training Monoxide to find things around the house…

‘Monoxide,” she said, catching the reptile’s attention. ‘I need you to find Glacier, now!” Smoke didn’t have to say it twice; just as he had been trained, Monoxide leaped from Smoke’s shoulder and ran forward to the fallen bodies, his ivory form scurrying past the people that were gathered. Smoke took that moment to assess the damage.

Blood littered the sand beneath her feet, and the smell of burnt flesh mingled with that of the gunpowder, threatening to make Smoke gag. She was sure that she could see body parts scattered here and there as others moved to get the wounded away from the dead, everyone speaking in frightened tones. _A blast like this will have attracted more than just a few people’s attention,_ she thought, looking behind her. In the distance, she could hear the sounds of someone approaching- scratch that. There were a  **lot** of someones coming this way. Smoke bit her lip in anxiety. What _else_ could possibly go wrong tonight?

Sneezing like sounds caught her attention suddenly and Smoke recognized it to be Monoxide calling for her. Like a bullet, she took off towards them, squeezing past the people attending to the wounded, black eyes scanning for signs of her pet. The sneezing sound came from the right this time, towards a sand dune. Smoke followed them straight to Monoxide who was standing next to her brother’s unconscious form, nudging him with his nose in between calling for Smoke.

‘Good boy. Good boy,” she praised the reptile as she rushed to Glacier’s side. ‘ _Glacier_! Glacier, _brother_ , please wake up!” Smoke called, not realizing that she was speaking both the native and the common tongue at the same time as she raised her brother’s head up a bit. Thankfully, there were no visible signs of injury on her brother save for the blood that was trickling out of one ear. ‘Glacier, please get up. Please,” she begged, her voice thick with worry and tears prickling her eyes. ‘Don’t leave me now! I need you!” Monoxide, sensing something was wrong, came forwards to Glacier, his long tongue flicking out to touch his other owner’s hand which jerked in surprise. Smoke saw this and looked back to her brother’s face, seeing that he was opening his eyes.

‘Glacier!” she cried in relief, the tears that had been forming now falling in joy. _He’s alright! Thank you God, he’s alright!_ Glacier sat up more fully the best he was able, blinking his eyes slowly.

‘Smoke?” he asked in a hoarse voice. ‘What happened?”

‘There was an explosion,” she explained. ‘I saw someone in the shadows just as you were getting close. Monoxide saw them too.” Smoke petted the albino water lizard’s head gently. ‘I thought you were hurt…” she couldn’t say anything else.

‘I’m fine, I promise,” Glacier admitted. ‘Just can’t hear anything out of my left ear. Otherwise I’m alright.” He tried to get up, but almost fell right back down were it not for Smoke catching him.

‘Easy Glacier, you could have a head injury,” she stated, holding onto her brother’s arm. Monoxide climbed up Smoke’s leg and resumed his perch on her shoulder, watching Glacier like a hawk. Glacier shook his head and stumbled a bit before getting back into the motion of walking.

‘No, I’m good. If I was hurt, I’d let you know,” he assured his sister, taking his arm away gently. ‘What about everyone else?” Smoke looked back to the crowd. ‘How many have we lost?”

‘I don’t know,” she admitted. ‘I was so worried about you that I didn't…” She was cut off by shouts and shrieks of fear from the people that remained. Looking in the direction they indicated, Smoke could see a large group of shadows coming directly for them. Black orbs met blue in that instant.

‘I think that’s our cue to run,” he said. Smoke nodded and clicked to Monoxide who dove into his bag. ‘Go! Everyone, scatter!” Glacier shouted to the crowd. They didn’t need any encouragement. All of them took off in different directions while Glacier grabbed Smoke by the arm. ‘Come on!”

As one, the siblings dashed away from the sight of the explosion, ignoring the shouts from their pursuers to stop. No, they hauled ass as quick as they could. Smoke and Glacier worked together to put some distance between them and those chasing them, knocking over anything that could slow them down.

‘Don’t stop running, no matter what,” Glacier ordered. Just as they turned a corner, a group of young boys covered in white charged towards them, screaming in sadistic glee at the siblings. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but judging by their behavior, Smoke had a feeling it had to do with the demise of the two siblings.

‘Shit!” Smoke cried, turning heel and heading another direction. Her lungs burned as she ran, but Smoke ignored them. Air wasn’t important to her at the moment; right now all she needed to do was escape. On and on she ran, until everything around her was almost silent save for the far off shouts in the distance. Smoke took a chance and stopped, practically gasping for air. She fell down to her knees, coughing violently. Her chest heaved harshly as Smoke tried to catch her breath, her head spinning.

_This wasn’t supposed to happen_ , she thought. _None of this was supposed to happen!_ All their careful planning, gone up in smoke!

‘What do we do? What are we supposed to do now,” Smoke asked Glacier, looking to her right side. To her sudden horror, Glacier wasn’t there. ‘Glacier?” she called, looking back for him. ‘Glacier!”

Oh. Shit.

Smoke became all too aware that she was now on her own in a place that she knew nothing about. Her brother and she were separated and Smoke had no way of knowing where he could possibly be. _I can’t just leave him,_ she thought. _I have to go back for him!_ Even if she didn’t know her way around, she had to at least try to figure out where he’d gone. Given that those maniacal boys had seen to it that they were making themselves scarce, however, Smoke hadn’t the slightest clue as to how to get back to the last place she saw her brother. It wouldn’t be too smart to risk going back at that.

‘Standing here isn’t going to solve anything.” She declared, reaching to touch Monoxide’s bag. When she didn’t touch the rough leather, her face dropped. The bag was gone, and with it, her last chance to find her brother. _Monoxide is gone, so is Glacier,_ Smoke thought, thinking fast. _Glacier had my left arm, which was the same one that Monoxide’s bag was. He must have grabbed him thinking that it was me,_ Smoke deduced. She hoped that was the case. She really, really did.

But what was most important, right here and now, was for Smoke to find a hiding place. And fast.

Looking around her, she realized that she recognized this area as being the closest to Pit’s humble dwelling. But all of her instincts were screaming for her not to go to the man’s house. _There isn’t much choice,_ she reasoned. Ignoring her gut instinct, Smoke sprinted down the familiar path to the ramshackle hovel, hoping she got there before those white men found her first.

 

* * *

 

Glacier's heart raced and his lungs burned something awful, but he refused to stop running even for a second. The weight in his hand alerted him that he still had hold of his sister, that she was keeping up with him easily. The shouts behind him sounded like they were getting farther away, but even then, Glacier refused to stop moving. No, he didn't stop until he could hear nothing else except for the blood running in his ears, something that caused the pain in his left ear to increase. The pain was enough to make his head hurt...

Glacier released his hold on Smoke's arm and hit the sand on his knees, one hand coming up to press against his hurting ear. He sat there for several minutes, waiting for the pain to subside to a dull throbbing. _Must have burst my eardrum_ , Glacier thought with a grimace. This wasn't going to be fun to deal with, especially since they'd no way of doing any proper inspecting of it. He heard his mother chiding him in his head; here he was concerned about himself when it was his sister he needed to focus on. Glacier rose to his feet, gulping in large breaths of the cold desert air which helped to cool the raging fire in his lungs to a certain degree.

'Are you alright, Smoke?" He called, looking from his left to his right when he didn't see her. But Smoke was nowhere to be seen. 'Smoke?" He called once again. Perhaps she was hiding and waiting for him to find her? 'It's alright, little sister. We're safe now!" Still no answer. Fear gripped him in a vice grip when he realized in horror that his sister was still back at the Citadel. _Oh God, no! I have to go back to her!_ Glacier started to run that way, as per his protective nature, but rationality stopped him. He was already in bad shape after that blast that busted his eardrum. Not only that, he'd only ever traversed the Citadel at night when there weren't so many eyes on the lookout for him and Smoke. Even if he somehow managed to find her, there would be little chance of getting out of there undetected.

'Dammit!" he cursed, kicking the sand in anger and was greeted with the loud hissing of a very upset lizard. He glanced down in surprise to see Monoxide sitting on top of his bag, staring up at the older Snow child. His heart sank even more; the weight in his hand hadn't been Smoke. Even so, at least their friend was alright. 'Monoxide! You're a sight for sore eyes," Glacier exclaimed, genuinely happy to see the albino reptile before him. He knelt down to Monoxide's level and reached out a hand to scratch the top of the lizard's head, earning himself a content puff from Monoxide.

'Don't get too used to this, I still haven't forgotten about you biting my finger." Glacier added. Monoxide's long black tongue flicked out in response. Glacier rolled his eyes. 'Yes, I'm well aware that you got called a rather colorful name, but that's besides the point. I need your help, my boy." The lizard's red eyes looked to him knowingly. 'Smoke is still back at the Citadel. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not in well enough shape to go track her down. Besides, I think you'd do a better job at getting in undetected than me." He petted the water lizard affectionately again. 'Plus I think sometimes she prefers you over me." The ghost of a smile crossed Glacier's pale lips before fading away. He knew what he was about to tell Monoxide to do, and there was a tiny voice inside his head that was telling him that it was a bad idea. But given the circumstances, there weren't any other options available to him.

'I need you to track down Smoke, Monoxide," Glacier began. 'I can't go with you, you understand? You have to do this on your own. It's not going to be easy and I know you've relied on us for everything, but this is what has to be done." he paused for a long moment. 'I'm going to rest here for the night. But in the morning, I'm going back to the Citadel. When you find Smoke, stay with her. Keep her safe until I can get back to both of you." Glacier removed something from around his neck and put it around Monoxide's instead. When it simply slid off, Glacier undid the cord holding it together and wrapped it tight enough around the lizard's neck that it wouldn't fall off but didn't obstruct his breathing. There, dangling from the black cord, was a white pendant in the shape of an icicle, a treasure he'd carried with him since the death of their mother. 'Don't lose that, you hear? Smoke needs to know that I was the one that sent you." Monoxide blinked at Glacier, who picked him up and hugged him. He didn't know why, but Glacier had a foreboding sense that this would be the last time he would see Monoxide. He hope that wasn't the case.

' _Go safely, my friend, until we meet_ _again,_ " Glacier murmured to him. 'Now go, go find Smoke! And stay out of sight." he ordered, putting the lizard back on the ground. Monoxide looked at his owner one last time before obeying his order and rushing off into the night without a glance back at the eldest Snow child behind him.

 

* * *

 

Smoke reached the door just as the mad shouts and laughter headed her way. She banged on it frantically. When there was no answer, she did it again.

‘Pit! Pit, please open up! Please!” she called, half tempted to break down the door had Pit not opened up when he did.

‘Smoke? What is it child? What are you doing back here?” He asked. Smoke ignored him and pushed her way in.

‘I… we… Pit everything happened so fast-” she tried to explain, but there wasn’t anything coherent coming from her lips. Pit put both hands on her shoulder.

‘Stop, child. Take a deep breath and collect your thoughts.” Smoke did as she was bid, taking several shaky breaths. ‘Atta girl, Smoke. Now, tell me what happened.”

‘It happened so fast…” she began, running a hand through her white hair. ‘We went to find the people and Glacier went to one of the boxes with the guns. Then… it exploded.” Pit’s face went sheet white at her words. ‘Both of us were alright, but then these boys came out of nowhere, ambushing us. We were forced to flee… and now I can’t find Glacier.” Pit dropped his hands from Smoke’s shoulders.

‘You said that you were chased by boys? Were they abnormally white, by chance?” Pit questioned. Smoke nodded.

‘Yes,” she said. ‘They almost looked like Glacier and I.”

‘Then it is just as I feared,” the old man muttered under his breath. Smoke looked at him curiously.

‘What do you mean?”

‘He said it was just guns and ammunition… he didn’t say a word about there being explosives.”

‘Pit, what are you talking about?” Smoke asked, grabbing the man’s arm. Pit refused to look at her. Her eyes grew wide suddenly. ‘You knew, didn’t you?” she added, releasing him. The elder kept his eyes averted from Smoke’s black eyes, further infuriating the young woman. ‘That’s what you were trying to warn us about before we left. You set us up.”

‘Smoke-”

‘You betrayed us… you could have gotten us killed, you stupid son of a bitch!” Smoke screamed, shoving the man to the floor.

‘I had no choice, Smoke,” Pit claimed. ‘They said that if I didn’t tell them why so many guns were disappearing, they would kill me and my kin. I had no choice!” Smoke laughed at the sheer stupidity of his statement.

‘Really? That’s the best excuse you can come up with?” She asked, glaring down at him. ‘You had no choice? You could have warned us! We would have helped you! If you are any sort of friend, you would have said something to us instead of throwing Glacier and I straight into the lion’s den. Now, because of your silence, my brother is out there!” Smoke exclaimed, pointing in the direction of his window. ‘My brother is out there, hurt or worse because of you. After everything we did for you. We gave you food, water, clothing. We protected you from being discovered and this is how you repay us?”

‘It wasn’t supposed to happen like this!” Pit argued.

‘Damn straight it wasn’t supposed to happen like this! Glacier and I should be on our way home but you saw to it that we may never see home alive again. We gave you our trust, Pit!” Smoke shot back. A long moment of silence came upon both of them. Pit stared up at the angry albino half-breed standing above him, her eyes no longer looking at him but at the wall. Angry tears were falling down her pristine white cheeks, her dark lips trembling. It was a disturbing sight to him; someone as beautiful as this delicate creature who had already seen much suffering in her short life should not be weeping tears of betrayal. _I should never have told anyone,_ Pit thought mournfully. _I should have let them kill me. This is all my fault._

‘You have shown me much kindness in the past, Smoke,” Pit admitted softly, averting his stare. ‘You and your brother have shown compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity to a tired old man with nothing to offer in return.” He stopped and looked back up to her. ‘I cannot change what has already transpired this night, nor can I take back what I have done. But… I am truly sorry, Smoke.”

‘If you were any other man, I would have killed you here and now without a second thought. But I don’t want your blood on my hands or anywhere else.” Smoke said, those words coming from her too easily. ‘I don’t know what the conditions of this deal were nor do I give a flying fuck. Go back to the person you sold our secrets to, collect your reward if you can.”

‘Smoke-” Pit began, reaching out to her. Smoke jerked back as though she’d been burned.

‘Don’t _ever_ think to touch me or speak to Glacier and I again.” She glowered at Pit. ‘For your sake, I hope your path _never_ crosses mine again. Because if it does… I _will_ kill you, mother's morals be damned.” Smoke walked around him and to the door. She couldn’t stay in this shack a second longer. If she did, Smoke was positive that she really _would_ kill the man behind her. _This is not the way of the Snow_ , her mind scolded. _Your mother’s people would never hurt anyone._ At this point, Smoke didn’t care.

She didn’t look back at Pit when she heard him stand up or even when his footsteps approached her quickly. But when she felt something hit her neck followed by the feeling of something being injected into her, Smoke gasped in surprise, her hand coming up to touch whatever had hit her. Long fingers made out the slender shape of something sticking in her skin, something that was making her feel sleepy all of the sudden.

‘Forgive me, Smoke,” Pit’s voice echoed, the strange object in her neck disappearing. ‘I have lived in poverty too long without enough to keep myself alive. Even if it means sacrificing my friendship with you and your brother, I will not pass up the opportunity to live above.” Smoke didn’t hear his next words as she fell down to her knees, her eyelids heavy. _Everything’s spinning,_ was her last conscious thought before everything else on her mind faded away like the morning mist.

The door in front of her opened, letting someone in. Smoke’s hand weakly reached out her vision swimming.

‘Well, well, it’s just as you said.” A voice she didn’t recognize spoke. ‘She really _is_ an albino. Pretty young thing, too.”

‘I’ve done as you’ve asked.” Pit replied curtly. ‘Where is my payment?”

‘Patience, my friend. We don’t know yet if the Immortan likes her. We’ll have her checked over by the Mechanic and get word to you about what your reward will be.” Smoke felt someone tug on her hair, causing her head to loll back. ‘She’s a tough one, that’s for sure. Usually anyone that gets this particular cocktail is out cold in seconds.” A cruel laugh caused foul smelling breath to waft over her face. ‘He likes ‘em tough. Makes it that much more enjoyable when they finally break.”

Smoke tried to jerk away from this newcomer, tried to fight. _Let me go_ , she wanted to say. _Leave me alone_. But she could do nothing to stop the stranger from stabbing her in the neck again with something that felt eerily similar to what landed her in this position in the first place.

‘This should finish the job off,” the voice returned, sounding smug. ‘We can’t have her trying to run off prematurely, now can we?”

‘Please, just don’t hurt her any more than necessary,” Pit’s voice returned, echoing in Smoke’s sleepy mind. ‘I don't believe she's yet seen her eighteenth year.”

‘Younger than eighteen?” the stranger’s voice called. ‘That’s alright. Joe likes them young. Long as she’s ready to breed, there won’t be any issues. In her current condition, I’d say she’s worth at least fifteen gallons of water and a motorbike with the bare necessities. Should be enough to hold ya over till you get to Bartertown. A shame we can’t find the brother. If you’d had him too, then you’d probably get twenty gallons of water, two gallons of guzzoline, _and_ the motorbike. But, beggars can’t be choosers, right darling?” The stranger with the half black face asked, bringing his visage mere inches away from Smoke’s…

Her world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the kudos! ^w^/


	4. First Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written a scene where a character is drugged and how things are from their perspective, so hopefully it turned out alright.

The world faded in and out of darkness for Smoke. In between passing out, Smoke was vaguely aware of being carried over someone’s shoulder, bouncing up and down as they walked. She heard people talking around her, but her foggy mind wouldn’t focus long enough for her to figure out what they were saying. A sharp jolt woke her up just a bit, and then the sensation of something rising up with her on it assaulted her. There was the loud clinking of very large chains on either side of her, what for, she didn’t know.

‘A gift for the Immortan?” a voice said. Someone’s head brushed against her side in the same manner a head would move if a person nodded.

‘Aye,” another voice replied. Judging from the proximity of the voice, it was most likely the person who was carrying her like a sack of something. What was the expression again? A sack of tumors? Pine cones? Her sleepy mind wasn’t too keen on working. A cruel laugh came next, this time from directly in front of Smoke.

‘A pretty one, she looks like,” said the voice, lechery dripping from every word. ‘He’ll like this one, I know it. If he doesn’t, maybe he’ll give her to us.” Smoke felt a hand reaching over her head, then heard the sounds of blows landing.

‘Keep yer filthy hands off her!” A deep voice came opposite of Smoke and her captor. ‘You want a filly so bad? Get down there to the Wretched and raw dog one of them. This one is property of the Immortan until we know his decision.”

Everything went black again.

Next time, things were just a tiny bit more clear, but not entirely so. She was still on someone’s shoulder once again, getting more of an idea of how things must look and feel from Monoxide’s perspective. _Monoxide…_ her mind tried to concentrate on her pet lizard, tried to stay awake long enough for her to hear the sounds of someone conversing with the person who carried her.

‘Hey boss,” a man called. ‘Got something for ya, I think you might like it.” Smoke tried to lift her head to see what was happening, but her body refused to cooperate with her.

‘What is it, Imperator?” A guttural voice replied. Smoke fought to at least raise her eyelids, but even that was difficult. Whatever she’d been given was certainly doing a damn good job in making sure she was incapacitated. Her world started to fade away…

That is until she was dropped unceremoniously onto the hard floor.

Smoke made a sound of discomfort, but otherwise did nothing, even when she was grabbed by the hair roughly.

‘A pretty young thing compliments from one of the Wretched down below,” said a voice from behind her. ‘He wants to trade her in return for water and safe passage to Bartertown. By the looks of her, she could be worth a healthy bit.” Heavy footsteps approached her, but Smoke’s vision was so blurry that she could barely make out the shape of anything, let alone an actual person. Her eyes must have closed again, for the world faded into darkness as her head lolled forward.

The feeling of someone running their fingers up her slender throat caused her to frown slightly then make an irritated groan erupt from her when her head was raised up and her small chin gripped rather roughly. Smoke’s eyes opened and her vision focused for but a moment…

But that moment was all Smoke needed in order to see death staring her straight in the face.

She wanted to scream in terror, but all sounds were caught in her throat as piercing sapphire blue eyes stared into her dark orbs, sending chills down her spine. White hair so much like Smoke’s own fell over the shoulders of the man in front of her, his skin equally white with what looked like powder. Most frightening, however, was the mask about the lowermost part of his face that resembled a skull. Hissing from it alerted her that it must have been some kind of breathing apparatus. Smoke suddenly wished that she would pass out again, that her world would drift away so that she would not see the frightening visage before her, but she was firmly locked into consciousness.

‘The man said she came from the East,” the person behind her spoke, but the white haired man before her didn’t seem to be listening as he continued to stare into her dark eyes. ‘He made mention that she wasn’t eighteen yet… but she’s perfectly healthy judging by looks alone. Makes ya wonder what kind of children she’d give you.” That last statement made the blue eyes of the frightening man before her sparkle with a strange light that scared Smoke even more. Everything was silent save for the white haired man’s breathing.

‘What’s wrong with her?” he asked in that cruel voice.

‘Nothing, Immortan, she’s just a little out of it at the moment. Once the drugs wear off, she’ll be just fine.” Those piercing eyes looked away from her for but a moment to look at whoever stood behind her.

‘I can _see_ that." The man spoke in a low tone. "Why is she so pale? Did you bring me a sickly woman?”

‘Of course not, Immortan,” the man behind her quickly said, a tremor going through his body. ‘The man I got her from, he says she’s an albino. A tough one, she is. It took two doses to knock her out.”

‘A tough one,” he repeated, more to himself than to anyone else as his eyes looked back into her own. He raised his free hand and stroked Smoke’s right cheek, noting the softness of her skin. Judging by the look in his eyes, this “Immortan” was interested in her... at least, she thought he did. Smoke’s head suddenly dropped as he drew his massive hand away.

‘Bring her to the Organic Mechanic,” his voice ordered. ‘And bring one of the History Men. I want to know more about these ‘albinos’.” He said something else, but she couldn’t hear him anymore. Smoke’s vision swam and then everything went mercifully dark.

 

* * *

 

Smoke didn’t hear or see anything for the longest time, which wasn’t all that bad to her, in complete honesty. After that terrifying man showed up, Smoke really didn’t care if she ever opened her eyes again. Everything remained comfortably black and numb until she picked out the sounds of people talking all around her followed by cool air wafting over her bare skin. With that sensation came also the feeling of cold… metal under her back?

‘-perfect. No signs of disease.” A man said somewhere to her left. Smoke’s head lolled in that direction, but her eyes remained closed. ‘It’s a good thing that you got this one when you did; with skin this pale, the sun would have dried her right up. That’s the trouble with these albinos.” Smoke want to speak, but her  throat felt dryer than the desert itself… how long had it been since she had a drink of water?

The touch of hands on her chest, specifically on her breasts, caused her breath to hitch in shock. The calluses on the hands caught her sensitive skin, dragging across it. She almost- _almost_ woke up completely when those hands squeezed her mounds, a pained cry escaping from her. _What’s happening_ , she thought fearfully. _Why are they touching me?_

‘Full breasts,” the man’s voice returned. ‘She’ll hold a lot of milk.” Smoke wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, much less what to make of it. The hands removed themselves, thankfully, and moved down to her stomach and hips, goosebumps rising on her skin at the sensation. ‘A strong set of hips and stomach,” he added. ‘Well fed and kept, should add. I haven’t seen one in this good of shape in a long time.”

‘What about her other parts,” came the guttural voice of the frightening man. ‘Is she fit to bear children?” The rough hands left her hips and stomach and instead moved to part her thighs.

‘Spread ya legs for me, little filly,” said her examiner. ‘Let’s have a look at ya.” Smoke lay motionless, not able to move on her own accord even if she really wanted to. Instead she tried to force herself to wake up from what she perceived to be a nightmare. _I’m going to wake up soon,_ she told herself. _Glacier will wake me up when it’s time to attend to the garden. He’ll take care of the crops and I’ll take Monoxide to the flowers. We need to weed them out before the sun is out all the way. You remember what happened the last time you were caught in direct sunlight…_ Smoke found that the more she took solace in the idea that this was a dream, the more she believed it to be true. Her head grew hazy, much like it did when she was dreaming.

So out of it, Smoke didn’t realize that there was something pressing against her most private area, something she most definitely _shouldn’t_ have been feeling. She had but a moment to draw in a breath when she was shocked into semi-alertness once again as a pressure so intense it was painful invaded her, a pain that was intensified when she tensed up. Smoke began to whimper in discomfort, almost on the verge of tears.

‘Easy there lass,” said the man touching her. ‘Relax. Don’t want to hurt ya on accident.” _How? How am I supposed to relax,_ was Smoke’s last coherent thought until her mind swam once more. The unpleasant feeling between her legs, however, didn’t. Instead it seemed to move, warm breath coming from whoever was examining her in this positively humiliating way…

‘Well?” the menacing voice returned after what was seemingly forever. Whatever had been inside her was removed and the hot breath was taken with it.

‘She’s intact,” replied the man she knew only as “Mechanic”. ‘Intact and nearing ovulation by the looks of it. She’ll be a week behind your other girls once she does. You’ll have about three days before she comes into optimum heat and then a two day window to take your chances with her.” Smoke wasn’t entirely sure of what that meant. She didn’t think she wanted to find out, at that.

‘How old do you estimate her to be?” Smoke felt eyes looking her up and down.

‘Looks and body development alone, I’d put her around sixteen, maybe seventeen. She’s jest a young thing, but that’s always good. Besides, you don’t see albinos all that often. They’re pretty rare from what I’ve heard. It’d be some pretty damn good bragging rights to say that you have one.” The Mechanic laughed above her. ‘So, shall I throw her back to the Wretched or-”

‘No,” said the harsh voice, quickly cutting off the Mechanic. ‘No, she’s not going anywhere.” A hand was in her hair suddenly, fingers combing through the windswept locks possessively. She muttered unintelligibly; the touch was nothing like that of her brother’s. It spoke nothing of comfort and safety, only of danger. Smoke silently thanked God that she wasn’t coherent enough at the moment. ‘Take her to the Vault with the others.”

Everything faded away like morning mist for the final time.

 

* * *

 

There was almost no light when Smoke’s eyes fluttered open for but a moment before closing again. A groan escaped from her as her head lolled to the left, a hand coming up to rest against her forehead. She was laying now on something soft and a warm blanket was covering her body. Behind closed eyes, she could almost make out the flickering of a candle. A fragrant smell filled the air, and for but a moment she thought she was home again… Wherever she was, it wasn’t in that scary room and- judging from the smell of the place- she wasn’t outside. Smoke wasn’t sure she should take solace in either.

‘It must be morning by now,” Smoke said aloud, her voice scratchy and her head throbbing painfully. Her brow furrowed, and the hand that had been against her forehead was joined by her other hand to rub at her temples. Smoke stopped suddenly, every muscle freezing. Her black eyes opened up, trying to determine just what it was that made her do so. Then she heard it again; faint whispering, coming somewhere to her left. Slowly, she began to sit up, her hands dropping to help support her. Smoke listened hard, trying to decipher the soft sounds.

‘See? I told you she looked like one of them!” she made out. Smoke’s brow scrunched together more in concentration. A scoff came to this.

‘And you think that makes her like the others?” another voice added. ‘Why would she be in here if she wasn’t healthy like us?”

‘What does it matter? She’s just another piece of meat for him to use as he pleases,” said a harsher tone.

‘Enough,” came the final. ‘We’ve no right to judge. We don’t yet know her, so no one act all high and mighty. And for the love of God, stop it with that peering around the corner. We’re still civilized beings.”

‘Civilized? You call living in a cage civilized?”

‘Well it’s certainly better than being down there with the Triumvirate.”

That statement sparked a debate between the four voices she heard about whether they were civilized or wretched. Smoke had to roll her eyes and sigh in annoyance. Women- four of them, to be exact- whispering and bickering like children as though no one could hear them. She never understood people sometimes. Then again, when you live isolated from people with only your brother and a lizard for company, there really was no need to try. No matter, Smoke really didn’t like that they were whispering about her.

‘Who’s there?” Smoke asked, just because she didn’t quite know anything better to say. The whispering abruptly stopped. ‘Hello?” All was silent until the owners of the voices finally came out from where they were hiding. Four women indeed, but all of them seemed older than she. And all of them were dressed in white.

The eldest of the bunch (she assumed her to be anyways) was taller than the others with unruly dark hair that was covered by white gauze, but tumbled over her semi-broad shoulders. Her skin was tanned, but not quite as dark in the manner of the people down below. Her stormy blue eyes bore straight into Smoke’s black orbs, reminding her in a way of a disapproving mother. The clothes that draped her otherwise willowy form exposed her long limbs but covered her breasts and lower body modestly.

The next one seemed a little younger, possibly by a year or so. She had pretty brown hair and doe like eyes that didn’t seem to match her round face but seemed to suit her nonetheless. Unlike the first, she was almost as pale as Smoke save for the golden hint to her complexion. Her clothes were just a little different from the first; she wore a white shawl over her hair but wore a complete dress that was slit partially up the right side. She didn’t seem unfriendly, but rather just curious about Smoke. If she had to guess, Smoke assumed it was because of her appearance.

The third was glowering at Smoke from the doorway, sharp green eyes looking at her suspiciously with her burgundy locks falling into her angular face. Her skin was darkest of the four women, but still wasn’t quite the shade as someone like Pit. Smoke didn’t say so aloud, but it made her look both unique and beautiful. She wasn’t sure she should say such a thing anyways as the woman didn’t look like the type to accept compliments. This one wore a thin strip of white cloth over her breasts and then a longer bit of fabric that hung around her waist before falling to the floor.

The final appeared to be closer to Smoke’s age, her blue eyes glittering in the candlelight. Her olive skin and black hair gave away that she wasn’t from this region ( _Is she from the East like me_?). Her form was lithe and fragile looking, but she wasn’t quite as tall as the others. Her attire was almost like the green eyed woman, but differed in that she wasn’t wearing a shawl over her straight hair.

As her black eyes looked from each woman, Smoke caught herself looking down at her own body and realizing that she too was wearing all white; white cloth crossed in the shape of an X over her breasts that almost left little to the imagination were it not for the fact that Smoke rearranged it quickly, her cheeks burning. The skirt she wore was long and was slit all the way up both sides leaving only a little bit of gauze holding it to her hips. Like the black haired woman, Smoke wasn’t wearing something over her head.

The feeling of being too exposed took priority over her appearance however.

‘Are you alright, child?” The eldest of the women spoke in a heavy voice that made her sound just as cross as she appeared to be. Smoke met her gaze and nodded. The look in the woman’s eyes was making her wonder if talking was a good idea. ‘Good. You didn’t sleep well. In fact you tossed and turned so much that the Mechanic had to give you a sedative-”

‘Do you know where you are?” the olive skinned girl interrupted, coming closer to Smoke. At the look in her eyes, she quickly added, ‘I know, it’s a stupid question. I was just curious if you were aware of what’s happened to you.”

‘Of course she’s aware of what’s happened to her, foolish little girl,” the woman with the burgundy hair snapped. ‘She’s not stupid, at least she doesn’t _appear_ to be.”

‘And what would you know about stupid, Lilith?” The one standing closest to the eldest asked. ‘You were in her position once too.”

‘So were you, Temperance. As was Constance and Hecate. It matters not. Now she’s a slut like the rest of us.” The woman, now known as Lilith, retorted. Smoke bristled at the word slut and sat up a little straighter. Even if she wasn’t entirely sure what that word meant, the manner by which she said it cued Smoke that it was something offensive. The elder saw this and quickly put herself between them.

‘That is enough, both of you. Lilith,” she spoke, meeting the angry green gaze of Lilith. ‘If you don’t want to be in here, I suggest you leave. The girl doesn’t need any of this right now.”

‘Gladly, _Hecate_ ,” Lilith scoffed, retreating out of the room, her white headscarf flowing behind her as she went. Hecate sighed and looked down at Smoke.

‘You’ll have to disregard Lilith. This… hasn’t been a good month for her.” she explained to Smoke. The air of irritation was gone from both her face and voice making her sound a little more likeable and friendly like the other two. Just a little, anyways. ‘A proper introduction is needed, I suppose. I am Hecate, as you probably heard. This is Temperance, and she is Constance.” Hecate spoke, indicating the brown haired girl as Temperance and the black hair one as Constance. Smoke looked to each, but otherwise said nothing.

‘What’s your name?” Constance asked, sitting down beside Smoke. The Snow child looked to her cautiously, scooting away when the girl came too close. ‘Where are you from?”

‘Constance, leave the girl in peace. There will be plenty of time for questions later,” Temperance spoke, grabbing Constance by the wrist and pulling her away from Smoke.

‘Both of you leave us. I wish to speak to her alone,” Hecate ordered. Both girls left without hesitation. Smoke watched them leave and then looked back up at Hecate questioningly. ‘This must be frightening to you, being in a new place with new faces.” The elder began, taking a seat on the bed closest to Smoke. ‘But we were in your place once as well. The fear will go away but it will soon be replaced with something else.” Smoke drew in her lips to moisten them and then chanced speaking.

‘I… don’t know what you mean,” she admitted. Hecate nodded.

‘As Lilith implied, you are now a prisoner here as the rest of us are,” Hecate elaborated. ‘Some would say we are freer than those that live in squalor, but we are prisoners nonetheless. We cannot leave and cannot walk about as we choose. We are as birds in a cage, but not without our voices. In time you will come to see what I mean.” Smoke’s eyes widened. _Prisoner… this must be about Glacier and I helping people to leave._

‘Why am I a prisoner?” she inquired. ‘What have I done wrong?” Smoke left out the reason why she was in the Citadel to begin with. The less people that knew about her and Glacier’s visits the better. Especially after Pit’s betrayal…

‘You’ve done nothing child, save for being healthy and beautiful. But I’m wondering… have you been told yet what is expected of you?” Without giving Smoke a chance to answer, Hecate continued, ‘No, I suppose you haven’t. You were barely coherent when they brought you here late last night. I will do so myself.

‘Listen well because this is the only time that I will tell you; you are not as you once were. You are now a wife of the Immortan. You will entertain him at his command and sleep with him when called. You have three chances and one year to give him a healthy baby boy; miscarry and it will be your first strike. Have a stillborn or deformed child, and it will be strike two and so one until you reach three. After that, you’ll be thrown to the Wretched below. And don’t bother trying to lie about not being able to have children; the Mechanic wouldn’t have given you the green light if you weren’t. And if you try to run away, commit suicide or try to abort your children, God help your soul.”

Smoke sat there for a long moment, unsure what to make of what she just heard. She was brought here, not as a prisoner, but as something like _this_? She was supposed to _entertain_ and _sleep_ with a man she didn’t know and wasn’t married to at that? _This is a nightmare, it has to be!_ Smoke must have spoken aloud.

‘He will call you his possession, his wife,” Hecate continued. ‘The name you have now will be forgotten to you. He will give you another that you will come to know as your own. Whatever life you had before will become a distant memory. He will break you down until there is nothing left but a shell of who you once were. And there is nothing you can do to change any of that.” Smoke looked away for the first time in the conversation, biting her lip.

‘If there is nothing that I can do to change any of this, then what am I supposed to do from this point on?” Hecate gave her a long hard stare before she spoke frankly:

‘Survive. By any means necessary.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Concerning where the other wives live, I haven't read or seen anything that would contradict the idea that the first wives were kept in the same way as they are in Fury Road. I know in the comics that the they were living in the Dome, but since this is many years before the movie and I couldn't think of any other possible places that they would live, I went with the idea that they are living in the Dome. (Some of the other MMFR stories I've read seem to go along with this as well.)


	5. A New Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait for the next update. I've had a bout of bad health and spent quite some time in the hospital. I'm alright now, and ready to keep the story going.

Smoke didn’t answer Hecate after that. _Survive by any means necessary…_ The way that those worse were spoken made Smoke wonder just what it was that was supposed to mean. It was true that she’d managed to brave the unforgiving landscape of the desert outside this place, but it was only because of her brother warning her of the ever present danger that was away from their home in the East. Peaceful though it was, one never got too overly comfortable. Especially when surrounded by strangers.

‘Do you understand what I’ve said as I’ve said?” Hecate asked, catching Smoke off guard. The white haired girl stared at her for a moment and shrugged her shoulders.

‘Do I have much more of a choice?” she replied in the same tone that Hecate had. This made the older woman sit a little straighter, but otherwise she said nothing.

‘Then I expect that there will be no problems unless you prove to be a nuisance. We haven’t had a foreigner like you come in for quite some time.” Smoke blinked at those words. If she wasn’t the first foreigner, then where had the others- ‘They failed in their duty to the Immortan, so I suspect that they are long gone by now. They don’t last long down there amongst the Wretched.” Oh, right. That threat of being cast out if she didn’t produce a son. In that case, there was little hope that they would be out there to lend assistance if she somehow managed to escape. Still, she had to ask…

‘How am I supposed to be his wife if I’ve never served a man in that manner?” Smoke asked, a blush coming over her face. Hecate gave her a strange look.

‘You’re a virgin?” Smoke nodded.

‘I haven’t had much contact with another man except for my brother.” A lump in her throat made Smoke stop talking. The idea of being away from her brother, not knowing where he was or if he was still alive… it was almost too much. Hecate stared deep into her black orbs, studying her carefully.

‘Under different circumstances, I would ask how that is possible but it’s clear that that’s a soft spot for you. As it is, I can only say that I wish you were not untouched. No woman should have to have _him_ as their first, much less their husband.” She said finally. ‘You’ll see what I mean in due time.” Smoke could do little more than nod in acceptance.

Time, it appeared, was all she had for now.

‘Now then,” Hecate spoke, standing up and making her way to the doorway. ‘Enough talk. Sitting in bed all day isn’t going to make your situation any better, so I suggest you make what you can of it. If you please, come out into the impluvium with the others. I’m sure they have questions of their own-”

‘How bright is it out there?” Smoke asked, catching Hecate off guard. She received a strange look from the older woman. ‘How sunny is it today?”

‘It’s _always_ sunny here,” Hecate replied. ‘We’ve never had a cloudy day, at least, not since I’ve been here. Why do you ask?” Smoke groaned aloud, running her hands through her hair. Not only was she trapped, but the sun was out. _Sun and albinos don’t mix_ , Glacier’s voice said in her head. Still, to say Smoke wasn’t curious about what lay beyond that door would be a lie. Perhaps just to the edge of the doorway would be a safe enough distance.

‘No reason,” she lied as Smoke slowly stood up, eyeing the doorway in trepidation. Hecate saw through that quickly.

‘There must be some reason if you’re trembling like a leaf.” She pointed out. Smoke scarcely realized that she had been shaking, much less whether her voice betrayed such knowledge. ‘If you’re worried about one of us-”

‘It’s not that, I assure you,” Smoke said, knowing what Hecate was about to say. ‘It’s… something else: a complex issue.”

‘What is it?” Hecate pressed, her voice not losing its harshness. Smoke looked to her and then the doorway, noticing that the bright rays of the sun almost made it impossible to see what lay beyond. Smoke nodded towards it.

‘The sun,” she began. Hecate looked out to what she called the impluvium (Smoke had not the slightest idea of what that could possibly mean) and then back to her.

‘What about it? You’re making not the least amount of sense.” Smoke hesitated. The last time she was caught out in direct sunlight- which, she still insisted, was not her fault in the slightest. In all honesty, it was Monoxide’s fault, since it was him who had captivated her with his basking. - Smoke had received severe burns to her shoulders that made them blister. Were it not for Glacier running to save her, things could have ended worse.

‘You can’t go into the sun,” he had chided after spreading soothing salve on her blistered back. ‘And neither can I. If you absolutely have to go out, do it at dawn or towards dusk when it’s not so bad. Mother would have been scared to death if she saw this.” Smoke never forgot that harsh childhood lesson and since then avoided direct sunlight like the plague. She didn’t have to ask what would happen the second she came out there, and most certainly _didn’t_ want to experience such pain again.

‘The sun… hurts,” Smoke finally admitted, shaking herself free of her memories. ‘I can’t- at least not for long- go into the sunlight. It burns… If I go out there right now it will most likely scorch me until there’s nothing left.” She hoped Hecate accepted this as a suitable explanation. The stormy eyes of Hecate observed her in a manner that made Smoke wonder if she even believed her until she walked back over to the bed they had previously sat upon and picked up her blanket.

‘Put this over your head then.” Hecate said, handing the blanket to her. ‘It will protect you… to some degree anyways.” Smoke looked from her hand to her face before taking it, still not entirely sure she should be taking anything from this or any of the other women. Smoke draped it over her head and shoulders in the same way Hecate had hers, holding it in place with a death grip. The elder woman said nothing, only proceeded back to the doorway and leading Smoke out of it. Smoke followed until her feet touched the stone floor that was in the sun, its warm surface not the least bit uncomfortable. For but a moment, she wanted to run back into the dark sleeping chamber, knowing it was safer. But instead, Smoke took a deep breath and stepped out into the light, bringing up a hand to shield her face instinctively. Smoke closed her eyes and then opened them back up slowly, letting them adjust to the brightness. Once they did, her breath was almost taken away by the sight before her.

The room she exited opened up into a wide dome the likes of which she’d never seen before. There were two stone staircases towards the far right of the dome. One curved towards the left, but what lay atop them was concealed by a red curtain. The second led towards some plants and trees off to the side. In the very center of the room was a large pool of water that was being filled thanks to a small crevice in the floor. Where the water came from apart from that, Smoke didn’t know. A piano sat off to the side with a stack of books next to it. Actually, there were many stacks of books, so many that it made Glacier’s meager collection look even smaller. Five chairs sat in front of a strange board that Smoke had never seen before, with even stranger symbols scribbled onto it. A long table and chairs was towards the left side of the dome, already set with plates and eating utensils and a bouquet of bright flowers sitting in a vase of water placed in the very center.

Smoke glanced this way and that, looking up in wonder at the strong steel and pristine glass that enclosed them within this place. There was a strange sort of beauty to the stone interior that Smoke had never beheld before, much less stood within. It was both interesting and frightening at the same time. _Like birds in a cage_ … Hecate’s words echoed in her mind. Smoke fought back the tears at that notion. _I will_ not _stay here,_ she fiercely vowed, biting her lower lip. _I will not be caged like an animal, not while my brother is out there._ She looked around again, a dark doorway leading to the strangest door she’d ever seen catching her attention. There was no visible way to open it from the inside, which was a pity. Unless she could somehow find a way to keep it open, that escape route was out of the equation.

And unless she found a way out of here, seeing her brother again was out of the question.

The sounds of something heavy opening caught Smoke’s attention, snapping her out of her reverie. Her head jerked in the direction of the noise, realizing it to be a strange door she didn’t notice before. Smoke couldn’t explain why, but for a moment, her heart was filled with hope that it was her brother Glacier coming to save her. Her hope was short lived when a man with half of his face painted black entered instead. She looked away, feeling stupid for having let herself believe that it was as easy as that. But surely Glacier was looking for her. Surely he was out there, somewhere waiting for Smoke…

Surely it would take a divine intervention to find her brother again.

From the corner of her eyes, Smoke saw the man with the painted face turn back towards the door and make a strange sign with his hands. With his back turned, she couldn’t tell for certain. The way his head was bowed reverently, Smoke guessed that it was a sign of respect to someone. She turned her head back to the door curiously only to see a much larger and more imposing figure pass through the open door and come into the light. Her very breath caught in her throat as she recognized the massive man that had just walked into the room.

He was no less terrifying than the first time she’d seen him; he overtopped her brother by a foot or more at least and dwarfed her more than she already was by everyone else. He wore armor that was decorated by hanging ribbons and medals the likes of which she’d never seen before. The armor itself looked as though it had been molded to give off the appearance of muscles for a body that had long since gone soft with age. All of his remaining clothes with the exception of his boots, which were as black as her eyes, were white as snow. His skin itself was ashen and his eyes were darkened with black soot. The same could not be said for his eyes which were the most piercing shade of sapphire that Smoke had ever seen.

 _He almost could pass for an albino like Glacier and I,_ Smoke thought. Then her eyes settled on the frightening mouthpiece he wore. Teeth arranged to look like a skull’s mouth made chills run down Smoke’s spine and the strange contraption on the back of his head didn’t help either. Judging by the wooshing sounds it made followed by hissing, Smoke guessed it was something to help the man breathe.

The other women in the room, however, did not share nor take part in the young albino’s wonder and gawking. They instead regarded the white haired man with disgust and contempt. Smoke didn’t understand why until the tall man turned in their direction.

‘Hecate,” he said in a harsh, deep voice that was made even more terrifying by the way it resonated in his mask. Hecate flinched visibly, but otherwise steeled herself and came forward.

‘Husband,” she replied.

‘Has my new wife awoken?”

‘Yes, Immortan.” Smoke’s blood ran cold. ‘She is here.”

 _No, no, no!_ Smoke thought, wanting so very much to run away, to find an escape and get away. But her feet felt as though they’d been anchored to the floor all at once. Smoke became precipitously aware of the tall man, who’d been addressed as Immortan, staring at her. Smoke began to tremble especially when footsteps came up behind her and the blanket being gently removed from her head. She wanted to protest, but once her dark eyes locked with the sapphire eyes of the man Hecate addressed as their husband, all other thoughts slipped away as her paleness and ethereal beauty was revealed to the cruel person before her.

Time seemed to stop as they stared into one another’s eyes. No words were exchanged, just one observing the other. Smoke’s breath came out slowly, her lips slightly parted as her chest rose and fell slowly and gently, a counterpart to the harsh sounds emitted from the breathing apparatus worn by the Immortan before her. Small as she was, Smoke had to tilt her head back to keep the eye contact.

When one of them finally moved, it was the man who lifted a hand upwards to stroke her soft white hair that had fallen into her face, twisting the strand in between his fingers.

‘So you are the albino who’s been added to the rest of my treasures.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement that disturbed Smoke in a way she couldn’t describe. ‘Have your sister wives been gracious to you?” She could do little more than nod mutely. This seemed to please the man before her. His eyes crinkled, hinting that he was smiling. Whether or not it was a good smile, Smoke wasn’t sure.

‘Good,” the massive man rumbled. ‘They will see to it that you adjust well here with them. As for me, I will replace all that you’ve lost. You’ve no need to fear the Wretched down below any longer.” He glanced at her clothing- what little there was- and then back into her eyes. The hand that had been toying with her hair moved instead to touch her cheek. Smoke forced herself to be still even though every instinct was calling for her to do otherwise. The calloused touch spoke nothing of safety, or that of comfort. His palm was so rough that Smoke was afraid that it would cut her cheek. She glanced from his chalky white hand and then back to the vividly blue orbs, unsure what she was expected to do in this type of situation.

After a few more agonizing minutes, the hand was removed from her cheek, much to Smoke’s relief. The look he was giving her now, however, alerted her that he had much more darker intentions for her.

Intentions that threatened to overwhelm Smoke with absolute fear.

‘Miss Giddy,” the Immortan called, finally turning his attention away from her. Footsteps coming down from the stone staircase caught Smoke’s attention as she followed his gaze, seeing an old woman dressed in brown descending rather quick for her age.

‘Yes, Immortan?” the woman- who Smoke realized was known as Miss Giddy- replied in a light voice.

‘Has my new wife been told of what shall be expected of her?” he asked. From the corner of her eye, Smoke saw Hecate start to say something, but decide against it as Constance, Temperance and Lilith stuck close behind her.

‘Not yet,” Miss Giddy replied, glancing to Smoke with a warm look in her eyes. ‘She’s only just arisen.”

‘It had best be done by the time I come for her again,” he growled into his mask.

‘Yes, Immortan Joe,” Miss Giddy said, ignoring the tone of his voice and coming to Smoke’s side. The cold blue eyes of the Immortan looked back into Smoke’s dark orbs, his hand rising to stroke her cheek one more time.

‘I look forward to our time together,” he muttered, more to himself than to Smoke. Thankfully, he drew his hand away and turned to leave the women. Smoke watched him disappear through the Vault door before it swung shut, locking them once more inside their prison. She didn’t move for several moments until she felt a comforting squeeze on her hand. Smoke made a confused sound and looked down to see her hand being held in Miss Giddy’s tattooed hand. Her eyes followed the words on her skin up to her kind face, seeing the woman smiling reassuringly at her.

‘I am sorry we had to meet in this manner, dear,” she began, her voice pulling at a memory Smoke couldn’t place. Her mother’s voice, perhaps? No, that wasn’t possible. Smoke’s mother died after giving birth to her. She couldn’t possibly have heard her voice save for the time she spent in the safety of her womb. It seemed impossible that she would even know much less recognize anything resembling such a comforting sound. ‘I know Hecate must have already told you what is to be expected (‘I did, Miss Giddy,” Hecate’s voice affirmed.), so I won’t bore you by going over it again. Now then, let’s get you out of the sun. Your kind can’t stay in it for very long, correct?” Smoke nodded, returning Miss Giddy’s kind smile. She couldn’t help it; she was speaking to her in such a comforting and reassuring way that Smoke felt more at ease than she had when she first awoke. Even so, she still longed to hear Glacier’s voice once more, to see her brother and run to him once again.

 _Please be alright, brother,_ Smoke thought. _Please be safe wherever you are. And please come find me soon._

 

* * *

 

 The world, from a lizard’s perspective, wasn’t at all what humans perceived it to be. It was filled with interesting smells, tastes, and sounds, but even with lightening quickness and smarts that surprised and frightened humans, there was danger all around.

A long black tongue flicked out every few seconds as Monoxide ran along his merry way, avoiding all the humans. He was smart enough to know that not all humans were as friendly as his masters, particularly his favorite Smoke. Master Glacier’s voice had told him that secrecy was needed, but also said that Smoke was in trouble and that it was up to Monoxide to help her. Red eyes blinked as he took shelter under a fallen bit of tin for a moment. Running on the hot ground didn’t affect the reptile’s tough clawed feet, but the unfamiliar scent of the humans was unnerving. And they smelled horrible. Keen eyes watched a particularly large group pass. His tongue darted out once they were gone, trying to pick up on the scent of Master Smoke. His head itched suddenly as he thought of the reward he would get for finding her. Surely she had a tasty rat or two for him and loving scratches as always.

Though his sense of smell was indeed strong, there were just too many conflicting scents that it was hard to pick out which was his master’s and which was someone else’s. When was the last time that he’d smelled her? No matter, he’d been running all night and he was tired. A good basking in the sun earlier had made him sleepy, but now the shade was making him more so. Flicking out his tongue one more time just to be sure that Smoke was nowhere nearby, Monoxide resolved to curl into a little ball and sleep. Perhaps when the sun went down he’d be able to resume his journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written in an animal's perspective, hence why the last bit of this chapter is so short. I figured it would be an interesting idea to see how Monoxide sees and experiences things in his perspective. That's what happens when you love reptiles so much and own two leopard geckos (Wyvern the Mack Snow and Spectre the Lavender Stripe). =)


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